Tell Me Why
by someclarafication
Summary: Jumping on the one-shot/drabble bandwagon, with Captain Swan, Outlaw Queen, and anything I else I feel like writing. Probably a mix of in-canon and AU (eventually). Prompts are welcome, hope you enjoy :) #2: Regina's wondering if what happened with the thief was real, or just a figment of the imagination.
1. Leaving

**A/N:** _post-3x17 (in case you couldn't tell, which I'm sure you all could.) As per usual, I don't own anything you recognize, characters and setting belong to Adam and Eddie._

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"Why?"

He sighed, running his good hand through his hair before turning to look at her. "Why what, Swan?"

"Why have you been pulling away—and _don't_ deny that's what you've been doing," she glared at him when he opened his mouth to protest. "I'm not blind, you know. I can tell. Ever since the night David and Mary Margaret took Henry and you helped Ariel, you've been just…distancing yourself."

"Why do you care? After all, I'm just a _pirate_, isn't that right, lass?" He glanced away, finding it easier to say if he didn't have to look into those green eyes.

She stared at him, mouth hanging open. "What the hell is _that_ supposed to mean?"

He glanced down at his prosthetic, his jaw ticking as he hesitated. "I—nothing, Swan. Nothing for you to worry about, at any rate." He shot her a tight smile before turning to walk away.

"Wait, Killian, stop." She reached her arm out, clutching at his jacket sleeve and just missing. "Please, don't go. Talk to me, tell me what's wrong," she pleaded as she finally got a grip on his arm.

"I can't, Emma! I can't do anything, don't you see that?" His blue eyes blazed with frustration, and just a touch of fear. "I can't help you with your magic, I can't help you with what happened in the Enchanted Forest, and I can't bloody well do _anything_—" he stopped himself before he accidentally blurted out 'about this blasted curse,' "to help you here," he finished lamely.

Her eyes hardened, though her heart had stuttered at the sound of her name on his lips. "So what, you're just going to give up? You're just going to walk out of my life like every other goddamn person I've ever known?"

"No, Swan—"

"Because I _thought_ you came back for me, which I assumed meant that you were planning to stick around, but I guess I was wrong—"

"Swan!" He interrupted her interruption. He stepped closer, his arm lifting of its own accord to grip her shoulder while his blue eyes bore into her green ones. "I am _not_ leaving you. I told you I came back to save you, and I did." His gaze flicked over to where his hand lay on her arm, and slowly he let go, finger by finger, before pulling away entirely. His eyes studied the ground and he sighed again. "I'm sorry I've been distant, love. I just…" He glanced all around, avoiding her stare, his jaw working as he tried to think of the words he wanted—_needed—_to make this right. "I needed to think some things over."

She narrowed her eyes at him, not sensing any lies yet not altogether trusting his response. "But you _are_ leaving, Killian. Every time you pull away, every time you shut down, every time you avoid my eyes," at that those ice-blue irises shot to her gaze, "that's you leaving me."

His eyes clamped shut and his head dropped in shame. "You're right, Swan. And for that, I _truly_ apologize." He licked his lips subconsciously, "I never meant to hurt you."

"You really want to make it up to me?" She waited for him to nod, "Buy me a drink." At the expression on his face, she knew she'd done right in deciding not to push the issue further. "And please, for the love of all that is holy, don't let it be rum."

His soft chuckle warmed her as he nodded, moving to walk beside her towards the Rabbit Hole.


	2. Nothing to Worry About

_I promise you, I will get it back._

Regina smiled as she pulled off her coat, thinking of smoldering blue eyes and the smell of smoke and forest. She glanced at her reflection in the hallway mirror, hair mussed and lipstick smudged and eyes bright. She couldn't stop the grin as it grew, and couldn't help but think that "grin" was the last word anyone, including herself, would have ever thought to apply to her.

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The day dawned dark and cloudy the next morning. As Regina turned her head to look out the window, a feeling of…something washed over her. She couldn't help but think of other mornings, with Graham, where she'd wake up alone, because not even the man whose heart she literally held captive would stay with her. Granted, she was the one who had kicked him out because of Henry, but even she could see through the very effective walls he put up to mask his relief. She stretched, her hands colliding with the headboard. She sat up and let the covers fall to her waist as she looked (more like glared) at the empty spot beside her in the bed. She was about to fling something (what, she wasn't sure yet) when the sound of a soft knock on her front door made her pause.

Threading her fingers through her hair, she dressed quickly and practically tripped down the stairs. As her hand went to the door knob, though, Regina froze, her old insecurities and fears laying claim to her mind. She turned, as though to tiptoe back up the stairs and pretend she hadn't heard, when a small hand pressed up against the glass, and little Roland of Locksley started making fish faces in the window. She couldn't help the smile that crept onto her face, and her hand rose of its own accord, throwing open the door to Robin and Roland on her front step, a picnic basket in hand. She shot him a questioning glance, but he ignored it, instead leaning in to peck her casually on the lips as he passed into her home, Roland dragging him through the door.

As the pair moved towards the kitchen, the boy's chatter making the house seem _alive_ again, Regina touched her lips in wonder at the effortless, easy way he'd just…kissed her. As if, as if it were nothing, as if they did it every day, as if it were just…normal. He didn't even care that she was the Evil Queen, that she had _killed_ thousands of people in the name of revenge, that she was the half-sister of the witch currently terrorizing the town _because_ of her. She shut the door in a daze, and leaned against the archway leading into the kitchen, watching Roland play with some wooden spoons and pots. She felt the corners of her mouth tilt up as she watched the little boy, so like Henry when he'd been that age. She didn't even notice that Robin had come up behind her until his chin rested heavily on her right shoulder as his arms banded around her waist.

"And what has you so deep in thought this early in the morning, my love?"

"Mm, 'my love'? Yesterday you were still calling me 'my lady'," she kept her voice light and teasing, though her heart stuttered at the ease with which he'd said the words.

He pressed a kiss into the curve of her neck, inhaling her scent of 'just-woken-up' and smiled. "Well, I just figured that with all that's happened recently, we ought to start on making new names for ourselves, don't you?"

"Yes, I suppose we should, shouldn't we?" She smiled softly, her eyes drifting closed as she leaned back against him, relishing in his warmth.

"In which case, my love, I demand that you refer to me now solely as your knight in shining, green leather armor," he teased, tightening his arms around her just a tad.

Her laugh shot out of her like a bark, and a hand came up to cover her mouth as her shoulders started shaking. Roland looked up at them and grinned, joining in the laughter that suddenly rang through the once too-quiet house. He raised his hands above his head to be picked up, and on instinct, Regina scooped him into her arms and set him down on top of the counter, still laughing. And she knew, from that minute on, as she caught the heavy look Robin threw her when she held his son in her arms, that she had absolutely nothing to worry about.

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**Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize**

**A/N: by the way, prompts (and reviews and _constructive_ criticism) are welcome :) Enjoy!**


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